A Sword and Shield
by FailingElegance
Summary: The most important aspects of any knight is the loyalty to his king, his honor, and of course, his sword and shield. A tale of kings and queens, knights and squires, revolution and war. AU. SasuSaku. Other minor pairings.
1. Chapter 1

_This story has been in my head for a while. It was slightly inspired from reading _A Song of Ice and Fire_ book series by George R. R. Martin. Wonderfully written stuff._

_I know what your saying. "This is just going to be some rip-off, huh?" Nah. I'm just stealing the time period (Middle Ages). Swords. Castles. Knights. Princes. Princesses. Kings. Queens. All that good stuff. So, of course, this will be AU, as obvious as it may sound. I'm not too sure if this story will have any supernatural or mythological elements, yet. But, we'll get to that later._

_This story will not solely focus on Sasuke and Sakura (though they will be in the vast majority of this). The POV will shift from characters throughout the chapter._

_It's tradition to start off a fanfic with a little disclaimer. I do hope you enjoy mine._

**_Disclaimer:_** _I do not own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, and FUNimation.__  
><em>

_A Masterpiece._

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Emotion**

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><p><em>"Let grief convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it."<em>

_–Shakespeare,_ Macbeth

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><p><strong>Sasuke Uchiha<strong>

His boots crunched ever so lightly on fallen leaves and twigs as he attempted to follow the animal in his sight. The deer did not seem to notice the sound and continued around a patch of heavy shrubbery slipping from Sasuke's field of vision. He hated the thought that he might lose his prey. With more determination than before, he gripped the bow tighter in his hand and walked further to catch up to the animal. Sasuke began to hear the sound of rushing water. Past the foliage obscuring his view, he could see the deer lap the water of stream into its mouth. Using the sound of the stream to conceal any noise caused by his boots, he walked with calculated footsteps until he could get the animal fully into his sight.

The deer's head shot up.

He stopped, hoping it didn't hear him approach. The deer look around, and then it locked eyes with him.

His trained eyes quickly lined up the shot and let the arrow fly. It slammed through the animal's eye with a resounding thud, skewering its way through bone and muscle. It clumsy stumbled to the side of the stream and fell to the ground.

Sasuke walked over to the lifeless deer and inspected his work. It wasn't the largest he had hunted but the cooks could prepare it and feed his family for weeks.

It had been a few hours of walking in the forest until he came across the deer. He had just finished putting his second rabbit in his game bag when he saw the deer scamper off in the corner of his eye. Itachi offered to come along as a partner, as he normally does, but Sasuke didn't think that it would be necessary. He assumed that it wouldn't take more than an hour, nor did he think he would be going after deer. He was wrong.

Sighing, he put the bow around his shoulder and grabbed the deer by the legs and started pulling.

He estimated an hour had passed before he heard a voice in the distance. "Sasuke!" The voice called. It was his brother.

"Over here!" He shouted through the forest in response, hoping Itachi would determine the general direction. Sasuke waited by his hunt until he saw Itachi in the distance through the surrounding trees. "Itachi!" Sasuke yelled, getting his brother's attention. "Help me with this thing!"

His older brother walked up to him. Itachi chuckled and smirked at him. "I asked before you left if you would need any help. With 'no' being your response I didn't think you'd be trying for such a large animal." He gave another light chuckle.

"Don't lecture me, Itachi," Sasuke said, annoyed at his brother's reaction. "And why are you here anyway? Didn't think I could handle hunting alone?"

Itachi held his hands up in defense. "I had no doubt in my mind that you would be fine. Mother on the other hand was worried sick. She told me to go out and find you, so here we are."

"Tch."

Itachi smiled at his brother's reaction. He walked around the lifeless deer and inspected with skillful appreciation. "Right through the eye, hmm?"

Sasuke smirked.

"And yet you drug it recklessly across the ground."

Sasuke frowned.

"I didn't have any other way to get it back," He elaborated, once again slightly annoyed.

"Which is why we hunt big game in pairs or more, Sasuke," Itachi chastised. He smiled and continued. "It was still a good kill, though."

He would normally hunt with a partner, preferably Itachi, but he wanted to go at it alone today. He would have been perfectly fine with bringing back just the smaller game he had collected, but he couldn't stop himself when he saw the deer sprint out of his line of vision. He had to go after it.

Itachi rolled the carcass over and looked at its side and back. "No major damage to it." Itachi began to pick up the backside of the deer. "Help me out, Sasuke. Grab the other end." He gestured toward the deer's head.

Sasuke grabbed hold of the front end of the deer, and with Itachi, lifted it onto each other's shoulders. They shifted the deer slightly to allow as much comfort as possible. It would be a long walk back.

"Let's go," Itachi said.

Sasuke left no semblance of a guide back to the castle. He and his family knew these woods like the back of their hand. He used certain landmarks he had taken note of in his many travels through forest, like the stream, or a fallen tree, a fallen bird's nest not yet removed by the animal life. Little and big things he was aware that that he used to navigate.

He heard Itachi finally break the silence. "We're supposed to have visitors sometime soon."

Sasuke gave his head a slight turn backwards. "Oh?"

His brother nodded in return. "House Haruno. The Lord and Lady are supposed to be coming with their daughter. The pink-haired girl. You remember her, right?" Itachi continued. "You weren't too fond of her."

Sasuke did remember. They had visited three times before. Once, when he was eight. Another, when he was twelve. And, the last one when he was fifteen, two years ago. He remembered the girl with the pink hair. An only child. Sakura was her name. The first visit, she had barely spoken to him at all. The girl with the pink hair did not stay around the other girls, cousins of Sasuke or daughters of other lords or knights living in the castle. Why she did not, he didn't know. Instead, she would silently watch him when she thought he wasn't looking. He didn't complain really.

The second one was different. She would repeatedly flash a smile at him, a smile he had seen by other girls. A smile of pure adoration. It irritated him. It was not foreign to Sasuke that many females fawned over him. This happened especially when lords of other houses would visit and brought their daughters along. Sometimes he would use it to his advantage, but most often he would scowl and pay it no attention. She spoke to him more than their first encounter. She frequently asked him what he was doing that day, what his dreams were, what he liked. And, lastly what he disliked, to which he promptly responded "You." She stopped talking to him after that.

The third visit was nothing special. She kept to herself.

"They're just here to visit?"

"I don't know." His brother shifted the deer on his shoulder. "Father just said they were staying for a couple of days."

Sasuke sighed. He would have to put up with this girl and her parents for a "couple of days." He loathed the sound of that.

He heard his brother emit a soft laugh underneath the sound of crunching leaves. "What's so funny?"

"It won't be so bad, little brother."

Sasuke scowled at him, and Itachi continued to laugh.

He shrugged off his comment. He would be the judge of that himself. He turned to look forward and saw that the forest was ending. They broke through the tree line and saw the large walls of the castle. The castle that seated House Uchiha.

It was large, slightly short of massive. One of the largest in the land. It dwarfed many of the other castles existing in the kingdom in height, length, and width.

The castle itself was in an expansive field. Surrounding the east, west, and north walls were hills while the south side contained the road which sloped into the entrance. It had been strategically built long ago to allow the castle to see invaders from a mile down the main road. There was nothing to block those stationed on the walls to see out into the horizon. The forest they were in was situated to the east of the castle, spaced apart by a mix of hilly and flat land. As he and Itachi approached the portcullis of the south side, the two guards stationed within quickly raised it and gave a respectful bow.

"We are glad to see you are unharmed, milord," one of the guards said to him after the gate was opened. "Lady Mikoto was worried."

He didn't respond. It irked him to no end that his mother didn't think that he could handle himself—in a forest of all places.

"We'll be sure to visit our mother in a bit," Itachi reassured. "We need to get rid of this thing first." He motioned to the animal on his shoulder.

"That is good to kno—"

"Jeez!" a voice interruped. "It took you long enough. I was beginning to think a bear got to you guys." It was their cousin walking towards them.

"Even if that were the case, the bear would have stood no chance, Shisui," Sasuke replied, smugly.

The other Uchiha shook his head and chuckled. His eyes traveled to the dead deer on their shoulders. "No wonder you were taking so long, Sasuke. Hunting an animal that's normally a two-man job, sounds just like you."

"Yeah, yeah, I already got a lecture from him," Sasuke said, pointing to his brother.

"Alright, I get it. Big Sasuke Uchiha is trying to impress everyone with his hunting skills."

A vein bulged on his forehead. "What was that?" Sasuke demanded, challenging his cousin with a glare.

"Yeesh, it was just a joke," Shisui said, waving off Sasuke's heated response.

Sasuke knew Shisui took great enjoyment in teasing him. He was his first cousin, the son of his father's brother. And as such he spent a lot of time around him and Itachi while growing up. He was basically another brother. And, because of this, Shisui knew all the things that pissed him off.

"Okay, you two, can we please just get this deer into the kitchens?" Itachi asked, slightly frustrated at their antics. "I'm getting tired of holding it."

Shisui laughed and scratched at his head. "I hope the cooks will prepare it the moment it arrives. I'm starving!"

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><p><strong>Kakashi Hatake<strong>

Kakashi watched from the king's side as the next person came with problems that they hoped would be resolved. King Hirzuen he noted was getting old and would soon need to relinquish his throne his son Asuma, a personal friend of Kakashi's. He wondered what he was doing right now.

"Your Majesty, I require aid! M-My daughter has disappeared! I have waited five days for her to return!" He exclaimed in grief. "I... I believe her to be kidnapped, and I have nowhere else to turn." The farmer before them was sobbing now.

"Why would someone kidnap your daughter?" Kakashi heard the king reply.

The man seemed to be shocked by his question. "I-I-I don't know, you're grace. A ransom, perhaps?" He choked out the response. His voice was raspy.

Kakashi felt bad for the man. The poor girl. If she were kidnapped it was probably on a whim. Maybe for a ransom, who knows? Considering she was simply the daughter of a farmer, her ransom would be worth nothing, though. She had probably already been raped and murdered by now.

"How old is she?" The king questioned.

"Th-Thirteen, Your Grace."

"And why are you so quick to claim kidnapping? Do you believe someone might have done this?"

"She wouldn't just leave, Your Grace. Where would she have gone? She has made no hint of wanting to leave the farm. She... she must have been kidnapped."

"And what would you have me do?"

"P-P-Please, your grace, send out a search party for my daughter! She is all I have!"

"I see, and you have no idea who might have done this crime?" the king asked.

"No, Your Grace."

With a sigh, the king made his decision. "I shall send five of my men with you back to your farm. Do your best to guide them with what specifically happened."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!" The farmer exclaimed, relief and hope evident in his voice. The guards led the man out of the throne room.

"Permission to speak freely, Your Grace," Kakashi requested softly from the king's side.

"You may," was the reply.

He didn't understand why the king would order five of his soldiers to aid in the investigation of a farmer's daughter, who was probably dead anyway. "If she indeed were kidnapped, I would believe her to be dead. What worth is the ransom of a farmer's daughter?" Kakashi asked. "Do you believe the girl to be alive?"

"If she were taken, then no. I can't say I do. But, to send him away without any help would be crime by itself." Hirzuen simply replied. "If my men do find her, it will probably be her corpse." His voice was not facetious but had only sternness. "Even if I know it's a fruitless effort, it is still my duty as king to give the people a sense of hope."

The guards shuffled back into the throne room and bowed to Hiruzen. "You have one more to deal with, your grace, a man accused of stealing food," a guard announced.

"Send him in," the king ordered. The doors opened to reveal a man dressed in battered rags. He stumble forward, after being shoved inside by one of the guards. The soldier pushed him to the center of the room.

"This man was witnessed by four civilians and a soldier on duty stealing food from certain stalls across the market district."

"You are accused by many," the king proclaimed. "What is your defense?"

"I-I-I was hungry, Your Grace, I was… hungry. I hadn't eaten in days. Please, your grace! Have mercy!"

"The official punishment for stealing is the loss of fingers." The man's face turned into fear. "What would you have done to this man?" The soldier asked.

"Please, Your Grace. Mercy! I am just a lowly man! I-I swear never to steal again!" the man begged. Kakashi looked at the frightened man. He was skinny and looked malnourished. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days. He probably would have gotten more luck as a beggar.

"You will not lose any fingers," the king decided. "You will spend four days and nights in the dungeon, and if I see you back again, then you will lose your fingers."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

The guard seemed displeased with the judgment but stayed silent. "C'mon then!" he commanded, tugging the torn sleeve of the man.

"Thank you, Your Grace. Thank you," he continued to say. He was escorted from the throne room, leaving only Kakashi and King Hiruzen. Kakashi heard a sigh escape from the king's mouth.

"What is wrong, Your Majesty?" Kakashi asked.

"It is nothing," the king replied with finality. "You're dismissed, Ser Kakashi."

Kakashi bowed to his king and exited the room through the large double doors at that entrance. The king's palace was large. Because of this reason, it took him a good amount of time to reach his living quarters inside the massive building. As he rounded the last corner that led to his room he noticed the person at his door and inwardly sighed.

"What is it, Guy?" Kakashi said, looking at his fellow knight.

The knight looked up and pushed himself from the wall, giving him a thumbs up. "Kakashi! Where have you been? I've been outside this door for the good part of an hour waiting for you!" Guy exclaimed, his voice bellowing through the halls.

"Had to sit in on the king's judgment as a guard." Kakashi replied indifferently. He walked past Guy to his door and unlocked it. He pushed through the open door and laid his sword on the small table near him.

"Anything interesting?" Guy asked curiously, following Kakashi into the room. He went to sit in his usual spot, a chair next to the window.

"Some farmer's girl disappeared." Kakashi answered. He sat across from the other knight and stared outside. "The father claimed it was kidnapping. If it was, she's probably dead though," he added.

Guy seemed to disapprove of Kakashi's quick conclusion. "Maybe she isn't. Is there going to be an investigation on her whereabouts?"

"Yes, King Hiruzen had some men go back to the farm."

"That's good."

They didn't say anything for a while. Kakashi couldn't help but calmly observed the other man. The knight had no house to which he belonged. Because of this reason he had no sigil. The king had found him orphaned on a farm at a young age and took him in and raised him like a son. "The Knight with No House" many called him.

"Why are you here? Did you need anything?" He finally asked.

A grin grew onto Guy's face at the question. "Of course! My apprentice and squire will be entering next month's tournament. I came to ask if you could spar with him and assess his skill." Guy looked at him, awaiting an answer.

"Why don't you do it?" Kakashi inquired. Their skills were on par with each other's. Guy could just do it himself he wanted Lee to have practice.

"I know his attack patterns too well for it to be worth anything. Besides, Lee asked if I could get you to fight him."

He did have a point. It can be difficult to gauge one's skill against someone who's taught you everything you know. "Fine, then." It would give him something to do. He could just spar with Guy, but fighting with someone new would be refreshing.

"How about tomorrow at dawn?" Guy asked.

"That's fine." Kakashi replied. "Anything else?" He asked standing.

"Nope, that's it." Guy replied, lifting himself from the chair. He started towards the door. "Thanks, Kakashi."

"Yeah, no problem." Kakashi said. He watched his friend leave the room, shutting the door behind him.

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><p><strong>Neji Hyuga<strong>

From the day he was born, his purpose in life was to serve and fight for House Hyuga. No more and no less. It was his destiny.

He was not given the luxury of safety. He was expected to die in battle against those who would defy his house.

And he hated it.

It didn't matter if his father was born only a few seconds after than his uncle. That time difference was all it took to throw his father into the serving branch of the house. As a result, he also was part of this branch of the Hyugas the moment he was brought into the world.

He had no mother and father. His mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and his father had died protecting the head of the house and his brother, Hiashi Hyuga.

Neji hated his uncle.

However, he could not bring himself to channel those same feelings towards his uncle's daughter. He was a personal bodyguard for his cousin Hinata Hyuga. He had kept his resentment for his house a secret, from her and everybody. If anybody knew of his position, he would most likely be tried for treason and executed.

He stood next to Hinata near the middle of the square, and watched as a member of the Side Branch was about to be executed for failing to save the life of his chosen member of the Main Branch. The man was killed by bandits ransacking his caravan.

After a member of the Side Branch becomes a certain age, he or she is given a person of the Main Branch to protect until the day one of them dies. If the death of the Main Branch member was caused seemingly due to the negligence of the Side Branch member, that person may be tried and executed, if seen fit.

Today was one of those days.

"They came out of nowhere!" the man pleaded, on the elevated platform. "I tried to do my duty!" The brand of those who were cursed enough to be born into the Side Branch could be clearly seen on his forearm. It was a simple pattern of lines that marked the person to be subservient to the will of the Main Branch.

"Then why weren't you killed, too?!" A voice from the crowd shouted.

"Kill him! He don't deserve to live!" Another aggressive voice screamed.

"Off with his head!"

A chorus of yells and shouts deafened the man's cries for mercy.

Neji watched with hatred as the executioner brought down his greatsword and slammed it through the man's neck, severing the head from the body. He saw in his periphery Hinata lower her head before she could see the massive blade meet its target.

Cheers were heard from the crowd. Neji clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword in anger, disgusted by their approval.

"I'm ready to go, Neji," Hinata muttered, her head still toward the ground, refusing to look at the decapitated corpse.

He nodded and escorted her back to her quarters in the main palace.

"Th-thank you for accompanying me today. I don't think I could have gone alone." She mumbled, standing by her door. "I wish father didn't force me to go."

When he was told that he would be her personal guard, he didn't expect her to have been so nervous around him, barely able to form coherent sentences. That was five years ago. She barely had a stutter when speaking with him now. He replied simply. "It was my pleasure, milady."

He watched her fidget as she stood by her door. "What is it, milady?"

"Wh-when we're in private, p-please just call me Hinata." She said, messing with a string on her dress, unable to meet his eyes.

This slightly surprised him. "May I ask why?"

"I-I just want you to call me b-by my actual name." She was captivated by the lace on her dress.

"As you wish, Hinata," he appeased her by saying.

A small smile grew on her lips. "Th-thank you," she replied. "Y-You're free to leave, Neji."

He bowed. "Goodnight, mil—" he cut himself off, still slightly perplexed by her previous request. "Goodnight, Hinata." He turned to leave when he heard her call his name once more.

"I-I'm not like them, N-Neji." Hinata said.

Neji turned to see her face full of remorse. Of course, Neji knew this to be true. Hinata was the least cruel person he knew. Before he could respond, she continued. "I-I could see the hate in your eyes. I-I-I don't want you to hate m-me." She looked as though she were on the brink of tears.

"I don't hate you."

She nodded her head and said slowly, "O-Okay." She seemed to have calmed down a bit after hearing him say that. She opened door. "Goodnight, Neji."

His anger and fury from earlier seemed to dissipate as he listened to her words. He didn't hate her. "Goodnight, Hinata."

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><p><strong>.<strong>

**.**

**.**

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><p><em>That was the first chapter. It took me a while to write because I was trying to assign roles to every character before writing this chapter. I didn't know if I wanted it to be winter, or not. It isn't, by the way. I also wasn't sure if I should have kept Shisui alive or make Itachi a villain. In the end I chose them to be good ol' not dead and not bad people. I use the word "bad" lightly here.<em>**  
><strong>

_My story will steal from events of the actual Manga/Anime. It will actually take only one major event. It will be exciting to write._

_More characters will be introduced in the next chapter, so it will be longer. I'll probably only write mainly for the point of views of six or seven characters. Some characters will get a POV every chapter. Some won't. Important ones will though. And of course, Sakura will be introduced in the next chapter because after all this is mainly a SasuSaku fic. They will have a lot of interaction with each other throughout the series. I wanted to build a slight background on Sakura from Sasuke's POV in this chapter before an actual POV from her perspective. Naruto and a few others will also be introduced. OC characters will also be kept to a minimum (there might not be any at all). _

_Also it is important to note that Neji and Kakashi, will have important roles throughout the story. The geography of the story will be explained more, so needless to say Sasuke, Kakashi, and Neji are not in the same place. Sasuke and Neji are in their own respective house's castle, while Kakashi is Konoha, capital of the Land of Fire, that indeed contains the Hyugas and Uchihas, and many more. It will be explained more in following chapters. It's complicated stuff I know._

_Tell me how I did! Leave me a review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_The second installment of the story is here, and I hope you enjoy it. I edited the characters in the story description and took out Neji and Kakashi because it truly is a SasuSaku fic and those are the true main characters. While Neji and Kakashi will be considered main characters, I took them out of the description. Sorry about that. _

_But regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Decisions**

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><p><em>"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account<em>

_not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be." _–_Isaac Asimov_

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><p><strong>Sasuke Uchiha<strong>

They were in the dining hall: he, his father and mother, Itachi, Shisui, Lord and Lady Haruno, Sakura, a few esteemed knights from both houses, and other nobles from each house. The most important were seated near his father at the head. The Uchihas were on one side. The Harunos were one the other.

They were on the last course of the feast that welcomed the visitors from House Haruno. The Lord and Lady arrived that morning and the entire day was spent showing them around the castle to places they hadn't seen before or to places that were new. At the end of it all, a four-course feast was thrown. The first consisted of cut chicken lightly covered with egg yolk and spices, and multiple hard-boiled eggs. Pork, beef, pheasant, and venison from the deer that Sasuke hunted a week earlier took up the next two courses.

"Fugaku! Mikoto! This food is incredible! The chefs are geniuses!" Lord Haruno bellowed. Kizashi Haruno leaned back in his chair with a chalice of wine in his hand. He was an average sized man with light red hair that formed some sort of star burst pattern on his head, and his side burns flowed even into his mustache.

"I have to agree with my husband," Lady Haruno said, smiling. "The food is marvelous!" Mebuki, Kizashi's wife, had shoulder-length blonde hair. She sported a single bang that fell over her face.

His mother responded politely and with a smile of her own, "I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far."

"Well there's still one more course left. The deserts. Surely you can make some room for them?" Sasuke's father asked, a prideful smirk on his face.

"Oh, I never said I was full, did I?" The Lord laughed in response.

The hall was lively with chatter, and music was being played. The music was carefully chosen, Sasuke noticed. Songs about the courage of the Haruno Knights and the conquests of their House. And songs about the Uchihas always playing after.

Sasuke was seated next to Shisui who was speaking to one of the Haruno knights about girls from each house. "That one," Shisui said pointing to a petite Uchiha brunette—one of Sasuke's distant cousin, a fifth cousin probably—, "I've heard is quite experienced in bed." He was laughing.

"Really, now?" The knight looked at the brunette. The girl locked eyes with the man and gave a coy smile. "I'll have to do something about that." He gave Shisui a laugh. They continued to speak merrily about different things.

His brother to his left was talking lively with the Haruno girl about different subjects. One of them being horses and jousting. Specifically, Itachi's performance at the last joustng tournament in Konoha.

"You were fantastic, Itachi." Sakura praised from across the table. "Watching you was amazing."

Itachi chuckled. "I thank you for the praise, Lady Sakura."

"Just call me Sakura, please. So, what's your secret?" She teased.

"Practice, practice, and practice."

"Some of the people you beat were practicing for _years_ longer than you. There just has to be a secret."

The jousting tournament they were talking about happened about a month ago in Konoha and was only for knights. His father had Itachi and Shisui enter with hopes that one of them one make first. Shisui had lost to Itachi in the quarter finals. And Itachi won the tournament. Sasuke was forced to watch from the sidelines. He wasn't allowed to enter because he had yet to be knighted. Itachi was knighted when he was fifteen as testament to his skill. He had still yet to be, and it pissed him off. He could stand toe-to-toe with any of the knights at this table.

The man across the table had tried striking up a conversation with Sasuke on many occasions. He paid him no attention. He wasn't in the mood.

The doors to the hall opened to reveal many cooks and servants bringing in different foods on silver and gold plates. Another wave people came from behind and swiftly cleared off the tables to allow more food to be placed on the long table. Pies and other sweets were put on the table. Set on the tables were magenta colored jellies, a banner color for the Harunos, and jellies colored black and red for two of the three banner colors for the Uchihas. The last color placed was white, a shared color of both houses. No doubt in symbolism, of course.

As the last bit of desert was being set on the table, Sasuke felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked up to notice Sakura staring at him. And, she quickly looked away.

"What?" He asked, curtly.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing." She didn't look at him to meet his eyes.

He didn't understand that girl. She and Itachi were practically flirting with each other this entire meal. Maybe she had grown an interest in her brother and would leave him alone.

Everyone eventually finished the last course of the feast, much to Sasuke's content. The plates were cleared out and people started to leave the dining hall, some knights with their arms draped some of the women and older girls. Sasuke was glad this entire thing was over. He watched his parents go off with the Kizashi and Mebuki, and Itachi walk out with Sakura. He made his way out the dining hall and into open air.

It was night, now. The moon was full in the sky and easily illuminated the ground below. The laughs and giggles of those that were present at the feast bombarded his ears.

A voice cut through the noise, however, "Sasuke!" Shisui said, approaching him through the crowd.

"I thought you'd be off with one of the Haruno girls." Sasuke said indifferently.

The other Uchiha cocked his head to the side. "I'm more interested with what you plan on doing. Like with you and Sakura?" Shisui said, giving a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Not interested."

"Oh, c'mon! She's a sight!"

"Then _you_ go fuck her," he snapped. If this was all that Shisui wanted—to bug him about Sakura—, then he was about to leave. He felt a headache forming and was tired of all the noise he had been forced to listen to.

Shisui, on the other hand, seemed the least bit perturbed by Sasuke's comment and continued, shrugging it off."Heh, I would, but I believe Itachi already beat me to it." Shisui gave an chuckle. "Who knew Itachi had his eyes set on that Haruno girl. You saw the way they were practically flirting the entire time, right?"

He glared at his cousin, but couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in his words. "You would have to be blind not to notice." Sasuke had always assumed that Itachi had a girlfriend, so he couldn't help but find it strange. There was a girl that he had always spent a good bit of time around, the daughter of a diplomat that always visited every so often. Azumi, he believed her name to be. But, apparently it was nothing.

"So, what are you up to, then?"

Sasuke's patience was wearing thin. "Why does it matter? Probably just going to retire to my room."

"That's boring. Train with me, instead." Shisui said dismissing Sasuke's plans immediately. This threw Sasuke by surprise. He assume Shisui wouldn't give up this opportunity of gallivanting to clash swords with him.

"We just ate, we'll just be sluggish, and probably vomit."

"Oh, please, as if I didn't know that. I didn't mean right now anyway. Perhaps when it gets a bit later." His eyes seem to follow a group heading in the direction of the tavern.

He frowned. "I'm not going to train with you if you're just going to be drunk out of your mind." They had done that before, and it was a waste of time for Sasuke. The entire time Shisui just laughed every time Sasuke got past his defense and hit him. He woke up the next morning with the pain of the bruises the tourney sword inflicted on him and the slight hangover from the alcohol plaguing him the entire day.

"I know, I know," he grimaced. "I won't make that mistake, again. Just meet me at the training square in an hour, or so. I've been itching for some swordplay." Shisui left Sasuke to go follow the crowd of people to the tavern, leaving him to stand alone. Sasuke finally decided that he would just walk to back to his room and wait a while before heading back.

* * *

><p><strong>Kakashi <strong>**Hatake**

"I must say I'm surprised to see you are here as early as you are, Ser Kakashi," a voice from behind him said.

Kakashi was sitting at the table waiting patiently for the other members to arrive. Across from him sat Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, two of the four members of the the Konoha Council.

King Hiruzen the owner of the voice came beside to sit at the seat near head of the table. "I do my best to get here on time, Your Grace," Kakashi replied.

The king snorted in obvious disagreement, but said nothing in response. He instead began to place documents in front of him and sifted through them.

He was stretching the truth to an unbelievable length. He had to admit that he was keen on arriving late to events of all kinds. This morning had been no different.

Every dawn for the past few days he had been practicing with Guy's squire. He could clearly see the similarities between the two. Other than wearing the same bowl cut hair and green clothing, their fighting styles were alike, almost a mirror image. Guy was very proficient in hand-to-hand combat, almost ungodly so. The moment he saw an opening in his opponent's defenses he would, in blinding speed, close the gap between them and attack at him with a dagger.

He taught his pupil, Lee, this very way of fighting. When they had first began training a week ago, he knew this to be true when Guy asked him if he wouldn't mind Lee using a dull-bladed dagger in his practice. Kakashi didn't expect the squire's speed when he launched at his throat with the small blade as their swords rebound off each other. He was almost hit. In less than a second the dagger had moved from its place on Lee's belt to whiffing the air near his neck. It was as if he were fighting a younger version of Guy.

He had to concede that training with Lee wasn't as bad as he had anticipated.

"Where is Danzo? It isn't like him to be this late," Homura questioned, wearing the frown he was known for. He was an old man, fifteen years the king's senior—as was Koharu. The two had grown up together. They had seen kings being overthrown, the fall of nations and houses. Both exuded wisdom and obstinacy that Kakashi expected from people from as old as them. The lines of life experience marred their faces.

_That scowl suits you well, Homura, _Kakashi mused.

King Hiruzen looked up from his pages. "I'm sure he will appear shor—"

"Your impatience is irritating, Homura." Kakashi turned slightly to see Danzo approach them, his cane stabbing the ground with each step. The bandage covering most of his face held tight. Unlike the two seniors, Danzo was around the age of the king. He grew up with him. A friend—if you could call him that.

"The same could be said about your lack of punctuality," said Koharu calmly.

Danzo lowered himself into the seat next to Kakashi and observed the two across the table with a calculating stare. "I was busy," was his simple response. Their argument ended there.

Himself, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, the four of the them made up the Konoha Council, advisers to the king. Koharu dealed with domestic issues. Homura handled the king's treasury and commerce of the Land of Fire. Danzo managed foreign relations and things alike. And, being captain of the king's personal guard and de facto general during wartime—the actual general was the king—, Kakashi was the military adviser.

"Now that we're all present, let's get on with this business," the king said. He pulled out different documents and asked for the council's opinions on the topics outlined in them. One being if money from the treasury should be used in attempting to upgrade the weaponry or funnel the money to the improvement of cargo ships. They talked about whether the taxes should be lowered due to it being peacetime. Even more were discussed until the last subjected was reached.

King Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. "The situation in Amegakure has fallen apart. The government has been overthrown by revolution, and the king has been executed."

A disgusted look spread on Koharu's face. "What is that band of ruffians calling themselves over there? The Akatsuki? Something must be done about them." She paused before she continued, "The situation should have never reached that point."

"I had a messenger contact the king before the city was closed off to attempt a negotiation. Our help for the right compensation," Danzo spoke up. "He had refused and decided to request aid from Iwa, instead. Hanzo was a damned fool and didn't know how to govern his people. And now he's dead. "

The now dead king of Amegakure, Hanzo, had been seen as a tyrant by many of the common folk in Ame and even in Konoha. He allowed his soldiers to seize property of farmers and merchant. No one knew exactly why he did this. He was considered crazy and paranoid by many of his subjects. In the end, it costed him the love his people and eventually his life, as well.

"We need to discuss what to do now," Hirzuen said. "Should we attempt an invasion?"

"An invasion is unnecessary," Kakashi said. "Detrimental even."

"Detrimental? We need to send our troops over their to prove a point. Send a message to other smaller nations that you will be put down if you revolt," Homura replied.

"Nonsense," Danzo voiced. "There's no reason to start marching out troops. Ame is outside our sphere of influence. If we attempt to annex the kingdom, we'll become disliked by many. We'll lose valuable allies."

"So what do you want to do? Sit and do nothing? Wait for other nations to start revolting, as well? It will spread like a plague to the kingdom's within our influence."

"It is nothing to worry about. No other kingdom shows signs of revolution." Because of his position as foreign adviser, Danzo made sure he knew his job well. He had acquired a vast network of spies from low to high places in many foreign lands. Kakashi trusted Danzo information well enough to understand he would know if there were whispers of conspiracy in other kingdoms.

"Perhaps you are right, Danzo," Koharu spoke. "But, if we don't invade then what will happen to the nobles there? They will be slain. A form of peacekeeping _must_ be implemented."

Danzo didn't seem the least bit flustered as he responded. "They are too far away for us to do anything about it, and if we attempt to interfere, we might lose more allies than we'd save."

"You mean they're worthless?" Homura's accusation cut through the air like a blade.

He locked eyes with the older man. The response was quick and blunt. "Yes."

Kakashi could feel the tension in the room. "Perhaps we can make an agreement with other nations to help?" He attempted to alleviate. "To show that we don't simply want Ame for ourselves."

"Our scars with Kumo run too deep, and Suna hates us." The king replied from his seat. "There's no chance that Iwa will allow us to interfere with a kingdom within their influence. The only Great Nation that I can imagine that would help us is Kirigakure."

"Andwhat of the nobles? Surely we can't let them be killed," Koharu responded.

"Perhaps it would possible for us to allow the nobility from Ame a place within these walls until we figure out what to do with them. We could send troops to our closest border with Ame just in case nobles do come. They can be escorted back here," Kakashi suggested. It wouldn't be difficult. The amount of soldiers that would need to be sent over would be small.

"We can do that," the king agreed. "It will be easy enough."

"Can you get word to the nobles in Ame that asylum will be offered in Konoha?" Homura asked across the table to Danzo.

Danzo seemed to think this through as it was a while before a response came, "Yes, it wouldn't be too difficult, and they would owe us substantially." _They would owe use their life. _Kakashi could practically hear the unspoken words flow from Danzo's mouth.

"Then it's concluded," King Hiruzen declared. "I agree with Danzo and Kakashi that an invasion would be impractical, instead word will be sent to the nobility in Ame that asylum will be offered in Konoha. We'll have to continue to monitor situation in Ame." He stood and said, "You're dismissed."

* * *

><p><strong>Sakura Haruno<strong>

She and the rest of her family had entered the massive walls of the castle earlier that day accompanied by nobles and knights of their house. They were greeted as if they were long lost friends and treated to magnificent food after all the touring was done.

That was when she saw Sasuke Uchiha, sitting next to his brother across from where she was seated at the table. He looked as handsome as always.

She would have been perfectly fine with making as minimal small talk as she could and simply keeping to herself for the rest of the evening, but Itachi Uchiha had different plans, she assumed. He immediately struck up conversation with her, talking about specific, and random things, jousting being one. She couldn't but praise Itachi's performance in the recent jousting tourney. He did phenomenal and won the entire thing.

He was just as handsome as his brother.

But he carried himself with a stoicism—and yet at the same time, a friendly manner—she had seen in so few men.

He had asked her questions about herself, her dreams, what she hopes to accomplish in the future. And she asked him similar questions. He responded to them with a brilliant smile that made her heart flutter.

Any woman would be lucky to be with a man like Itachi.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Itachi had asked her.

To be honest, she was never told a definite answer, so she didn't know how to answer her question other than saying, "I think maybe a week or so."

"That's good, it will give me time to show you the garden. You've been there before, right?" Itachi asked with a smile gracing his lips.

She remembered Lady Mikoto's garden. "I have, but it was over five years ago since I last saw it," she replied. She recalled that it was beautiful. With different types of trees and flowers sprinkled throughout the garden, it looked like a paradise.

"Then I must show you it. Five years is a long time. More flora has been added to the garden," he acclaimed.

She chuckled at Itachi's uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "I'd love to see it at some point."

When the final course of the meal was being placed on the table, she had let her eyes wander to Sasuke. As if on cue, he responded with a terse, "What?" It was like a little jab at her heart.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing."

The feast had continued with Itachi still speaking to her as if they had been friends for years. When everyone got done with their pies and their pastries and jellies, she had tried to leave to return to her room, but she felt a light tap on her arm.

"Sakura, may I escort you back to your room?" Itachi asked, his onyx eyes effortlessly piercing her. It took her by surprise.

"I…I suppose you may," came her hesitant reply. She felt many eyes bore into her as she walked out with Itachi into the moonlight night. He kept a respectable distance between them as she they continued to walk through street to her living quarters within the palace.

"I must apologize for my brother's behavior, Sakura," he said eyes straightforward.

"There's no need," she reassured. "I probably shouldn't have been staring."

Itachi's response was silence. He seemed lost in his own thoughts and continued to not meet her eyes.

"Thank you, by the way," Sakura continued, her eyes slightly downcasted. She saw Itachi turn his head toward her.

"Why am I being thanked?" He grinned.

"For keeping me company and talking to me at the feast." She was truly grateful. It was the first time anyone from the Uchihas had given her the time of day, let alone have a full and engaging conversation with her.

His grin grew into one of the smiles that seem to come naturally to him. "I meant to last time you were here, but I was caught up in house business."

They walked into the grand entrance hall of the main palace, where the Lord and Lady Uchiha, their family, and esteemed guests were housed. The banners of the house could be seen hanging on the side of the wall, the uchiwa fan staring back at her. They veered into a hall to their left and went up the half landing stairs at the end of the hall to the next floor. Her room was on the floor above this one. It could be accessed by another set of stairs on that passed a pair of branching hallways.

Next to her, Itachi started down one of the said hallways and looked back to say, "Will you allow for a little detour?"

"Sure. Where are we going?" Sakura replied, following the Uchiha down the hallway.

He slipped around a corner to another smaller hallway. She moved around the wall and saw Itachi push a full length window that led to a balcony, dotted with potted plants of different kinds. She made her way through the window and to the edge of the balcony. It was about twenty feet to the ground, but she could make out two figures walking bathed in the light of the moon. As her eyes adjusted, she recognized them to be Sasuke and Shisui. They were making their way to the dirt circle outlined in stone brick directly below the balcony.

"Did you know they were here?" She asked her escort. She watched the two walk to a wooden rack that held swords and what she thought to be wooden shields.

"Shisui had mentioned earlier that he wanted to train with Sasuke. This place is where the three of us learned how to wield a sword and is exclusive to us and high-rankings knights. I assume it was worth a check to see if they were here, or not."

The two took a sword for each of them. Shisui held it in his right. Sasuke in his left. They stepped into the large dirt circle next to them.

"I forgot had Sasuke was left-handed." She mentioned offhandedly. She attempted to remember the feast. She thought that she recalled Sasuke was using his left hand for the majority of the time, she wasn't sure though. He probably did.

"It works to his advantage. Most people find it more difficult to fight against others who are left-handed."

It made sense, since the majority of people were right-handed. She could imagine how it would be more challenging.

"Because they didn't grab for shields, it's most likely a first-blood match. First to get hit loses. It practices speed and reflexes," Itachi stated calmly next to her.

The two waved the swords around, giving them practice swings.

"Those are tourney swords, right?" She already knew the answer to the question—at least she hoped he did. Surely there would be no way they would practice with sharpened blades.

"Of course they are," Itachi laughed. "We don't train with each other using real swords unless necessary."

_Like times of war. _She turned her focus back to the Uchihas in the circle, moving about each other, waiting to strike. For the entirety of the feast, she only saw Shisui laugh merrily along with everyone else, a grin constantly plastered to his face. Now she could only see a dead serious expression. Sasuke didn't seem perturbed by this and stared back with a calculated gaze.

"Shisui may be lighthearted for the most part." She heard Itachi comment next to her, "but when he gets behind a sword, it's incredible to watch."

For Itachi's to praise someone and deem their skills as "incredible" made Sakura all the more interested and at the same time slightly anxious and excited to see how this match unfolds.

"But, so is Sasuke," he finished.

The two immediately clashed, a loud metallic clang echoing through the air.

Sasuke was the first to react and quickly slammed his sword against Shisui's again. And again. And again, attempting to overwhelm the other Uchiha. Shisui deflected the last cut which sent Sasuke stumbling forward, and into an incoming slash. He swiftly rolled below sword and ended up a few feet on the other side of Shisui. Leaving no time for Sasuke to stand again, Shisui attempted to deliver a cut to his side. It was blocked. Shisui retracted his blade to attempt another hit, but before he could bring his arm around, Sasuke lunged forward with a stab, barely missing a side stepping Shisui. He rolled into standing position and faced his opponent.

"Incredible," Sakura said, as the two went back at trying to land a hit on each other.

"The Uchiha are taught to attack in a way that gives them easy flexibility. At the beginning, it's safe to assume Sasuke was trying to throw Shisui off by attacking very aggressively, more so than he normally would. A different style than what is taught. It was a gamble," Itachi explained.

She watched as Sasuke ducked an attack at his head, and tried to counter with a thrust.

"It didn't work, and it almost made him lose," he continued.

She had never spent more than ten minutes with a sword in her hand, loathing the fact that she was not allowed to train in the art herself due to her sex. Sakura knew a bit about sword fighting not from doing it herself, but reading books on the subject. A great emphasis was placed on well-developed footwork, and watching how precise the Uchihas movements were, she understood that this held true.

It was hard for her to tell but she assumed Sasuke was the one with the initiative in the battle, every time he attacked, he stepped closer to Shisui. And, Shisui stepped back. A small retreat.

Shisui pulled his sword arm back slightly to deliver another slash. Sasuke noticed this and immediately went lean into the incoming sword, his blade poised to block and most likely parry it. Yet, Shisui's arm was still moving back. Using the momentum of his arm, Shisui quickly rotated on his feet, flashing his back to Sasuke for only an instant and swung the sword to Sasuke's unprotected side. Sakura realized what happened in the mere second that had just past.

Shisui executed a flawless feint.

Sasuke, slightly flustered by the movement, tried to move his sword to his other side to guard the attack, but the blade smashed too close to the guard of Sasuke's sword. As if in slow motion, Sakura watched his hands struggle to keep hold of his blade as he stumbled backwards and attempted to regain his footing. Shisui was quickly upon him, not allowing the younger Uchiha to compose himself. Sasuke's second step backwards never hit the ground. Shisui had hooked bottom of Sasuke's calf with the bend of his foot and raised his leg in the air, tripping the Uchiha while at the same smacking the loose sword from Sasuke's grip, sending it clattering to the ground. He was sent on his back.

Shisui pressed the dulled blade of his sword to Sasuke's throat signaling his victory.

Sakura had seen so few fight as gracefully and strategically as the two she had just witnessed. "They were unbelievable." She couldn't help but say. Was that how well the Uchiha fought? No wonder they were one of the most powerful houses in all the lands. "I can't believe Shisui was able to trick Sasuke like that," she continued to praise, watching said Uchiha extend his hand to help the other to his feet. Sasuke grabbed the hand and lifted himself up.

"Near the middle of the match, he began conditioning Sasuke to block whenever he moved his foot back and with his right arm raised. It was subtle but it worked," she heard Itachi reply next to her. He had a smirk on his face. "Messing with the opponent's mind is important in any sword fight."

From what she had just seen, there was no way she could disagree. Sakura marveled at their ability to think like that as they were fighting. It seemed as if each slash the two threw at each other had purpose behind. Each was used to assess a potential weakness, to overwhelm, or to execute a short term plan devised in the midst of swords of clashing.

"It's getting rather late, Sakura." Itachi had started to walk out of the balcony. "Allow me to escort you the rest of the way to your room," he said as he stopped and looked back at her.

She nodded and gave one more glance at the two. They had backed up from each other and poised their swords, ready to strike once again. The two were going to continue.

"They will be at it for a while," Itachi commented, a relaxed smile on his face. She couldn't help but return it.

When they finally had reached her room, Sakura couldn't help but restate what she had said earlier. "Thank you, Itachi, for spending time with me, today." She knew she was blushing because she could feel her cheeks heat up at her gratitude.

And as he had done so many times that night, he smiled. "It was my pleasure. I hope to speak with you some more.

A question, however, was pestering her since she saw how Sasuke and Shisui fought so expertly. She couldn't help but ask. "I'm sorry, Itachi. I have a question."

"Ask away," Itachi encouraged.

Sasuke and Shisui fought very well. Even better than some of the knights she had seen, probably better than most. "I know that you are knight, but what of Shisui and Sasuke?" She remembered the jousting tournament held some time ago in Konoha that was exclusive to only newly appointed knights, and Itachi had done exceedingly well and won. Sakura didn't know if Shisui or Sasuke had attended because she couldn't go.

"Yes, Shisui is a knight. Sasuke isn't, though." He must have seen the slight surprise that etched across her face because he continued. "Father plans to knight him depending on his placement in an upcoming tournament in Konoha."

"The one that's hosted next month?" She had heard her father and some of the knights talk about how they expected young men from all over the kingdom to attend. One of the biggest yet. "After seeing what he's capable of, I doubt that he will do poorly. I wouldn't be surprised if he won."

Itachi appeared as though he was thinking, and then replied, "We can only hope, huh? Will you be attending?"

"Probably not, my father doesn't allow me to go to tournaments, no matter how much I ask," she replied, irritation in her voice.

She noticed Itachi make a slightly displeased face. "Maybe I can convince him, otherwise."

"That would be wonderful!" Sakura exclaimed. She had always wanted to see a tournament. She had spent most of her life within the walls of her house's castle and was rarely allowed to go visit other places when her parents did. As result, she had only been to Konoha twice, both at a very young age. She wanted enjoy things like tournaments like the rest of her house, and she hated that her father insisted that she couldn't attend. "He's very stubborn, though," she had to say.

"It doesn't hurt to try," he reassured.

She wondered if more people were like Itachi. He had friendliness on the inside that could brighten anyone's mood. "I won't keep you any longer. Goodnight, Itachi, and thank you."

A lighthearted laugh escaped his lips. "You're welcome, and goodnight."

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto Uzumaki<strong>

He looked at the sheet of paper on the wall.

_Come one! Come all! _

_At beginning of the next month a tournament will be held by His Majesty, King Hiruzen! _

_Come see many young men from all over compete to see who will come out on top!_

A huge grin grew on his face as he took the flyer from the wall and stuffed it in his pocket. He picked up the wooden crate of fruits and vegetables he had bought as he made his way back to the inn they were staying at.

They were in one of the small villages west of Konoha. It was quaint and quiet, and from his three-week stay so far, no one knew he was. When they would ask his name, he would respond with "Kenta." To them he was Kenta.

His life had been difficult. Naruto had grown up without a mother or father, and so his first memory was being in an orphanage.

What Naruto learned immediately was that people hated him.

Eventually he was adopted by Jiraiya when he was twelve. He had later learned from Jiraiya that his mother had done something, something that warranted having every one who heard the name Naruto Uzumaki writhe in hate. He didn't know what though. The two of them traveled the Land of Fire and even trickled into other kingdoms. Most of the places they went to knew his name but very few could few put a face to it, so he settled on aliases to disguise him, to avoid ridicule. It worked for the most part.

Supporting the crate on his knee, he pushed the door to the inn open. The first thing that came to his ears was his perverted teacher's flirtatious comments with one of the women staying in the inn.

"How long have you been here? And when are you leaving?" Jiraiya questioned his new found interest. He sat in across a small table from the woman. The two were the only person in the main room of the inn at that time.

The woman gave him a weird look, and Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hey, Pervy Sage! I got us dinner." Naruto walked over and placed box of fruit and vegetables on the table in between his teacher and the woman.

She looked between the two males. "I think I'll just go for a walk," the woman said slowly, getting up from her chair and moved to exit the building.

"No wait! Come back!" Jiraiya exclaimed from his chair. The woman only sped her pace and exited through the door. His face portrayed all spectrum of sadness and failure.

Naruto let out nervous laugh. "Sorry about that."

Jiraiya shot Naruto a glare as he occupied the seat the woman had recently gotten out of, but then let out a defeated sigh. He picked up an apple and took a bite of it.

"We could have bought meat from the inn, you know," Jiraiya said as he continued to take bites of the fruit. "A steak, perhaps."

"We need to conserve money, right?" Naruto replied, echoing a statement his teacher had said before when commenting on Naruto's choice of rather expensive food.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto said reaching into his pocket and revealing the paper. "Look at this!" Naruto placed the flyer in front of Jiraiya. He pulled out an apple of his own and bit into it as his teacher read the paper.

"A tournament, huh? You want to watch to this?" His teacher seemed baffled by the sudden request.

"Watch it?!" Naruto yelled and pumped his fist into the air. "Screw that! I want to enter it!" In his staying with Jiraiya, Naruto had grown very proficient with a sword, granted the only person he practiced with was Jiraiya himself, so he could only assume.

A smile grew across his teacher's face.

He watched him take another bite of the apple.

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

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* * *

><p><em>I omitted Neji from this chapter simply because it was kind of running long. He'll make an appearance next chapter. And as you can see I introduced both Sakura and Naruto to the story. I must say I did enjoy writing the interaction between Itachi and Sakura. I always felt as though their could have been a lot of potential there in the main series. Kind of wished Kishimoto would have explored it a bit more. There will also be more interaction between Sasuke and Sakura in the next coming chapters (than two lines of dialogue).<em>

_A little intereting fact regarding Sakura in this chapter. I originally planned on creating original characters for Sakura's parents but I remembered that they were indeed canon. I think they only appeared for one episode. They were given names, however, and I used them. You'll see more of them, and Naruto as well. His POV was short this chapter but they will get longer, I promise._

_Did you enjoy the interaction between the members of the Konoha Council? I always wondered the interaction they had, so I expressed my thoughts in that part. I made Kakashi the military adviser to Hiruzen and also made him part of the Konoha Council, as well. I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to do this, but if feel as if it is important to the plot that he is. His title as captain of the king's personal guard and "de facto" general will become more important as the story progresses. And also the Akatsuki have been introduced to the story, too, and overthrew the Amegakure government and executed Hanzo. Fitting, right?_

_Tell me if you like the story so far! Leave me a review!_


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